5 Players to Avoid in Week 6

5 Players to Avoid in Week 6

Whenever we look into players to avoid, we aren’t simply targeting a name that we think won’t perform as well as others. Instead, we are taking a tournament-based approach to finding those who are either overvalued or have a path to failure. Sometimes it’s due to price. Other times, matchups. Even game flow or regression may come into play.

Whatever the reasoning behind a player to avoid, the purpose is always the same: trim the list of options for a given week so that we can limit the amount of factors we need to go in our direction.

QB Kyler Murray – ARI $8,300 at CLE – It’s never easy to avoid one of the hottest players in the game and feel good about it, but we aren’t here to “feel good.” We are here to try to make calculated risks that could lead to big results. Avoiding Kyler Murray is one of them.

Entering Week 5, Murray’s Cardinals ranked first in the league in both points and yards. They saw a major regression in Week 5, and this will appear to present itself as an opportunity to re-buy into the team.

Not so fast.

On Sunday, the Cardinals will travel to play against a Cleveland Browns team that just had its heart broken despite an outstanding effort on the road. That Browns team is also allowing the fourth-fewest total yards and third-fewest yards-per-carry in the league.

Murray likely won’t be stopped outright, but there is justification to looking elsewhere for your WFS quarterback.

QB Dak Prescott – DAL $7,400 at NE – There’s certainly a tremendous risk in avoiding Dak Prescott in a given week, but he’s in a tricky situation for Week 6’s trip to New England. The Patriots were just torched by rookie Davis Mills, and Prescott is far superior than Mills with infinitely more talent surrounding him. Why the fade, then?

Because this is, indeed, a tricky situation.

Even after allowing a season-high number of passing yards to Mills and the Texans, New England’s defense still ranks in the top-five for yards, points, passing yards, and passing touchdowns. It won’t be easy for Prescott to slide into the matchup and immediately deliver without a fight.

There’s also the unsustainable nature of the Cowboys’ scoring over the past three weeks. Dallas has reached at least 36 points in three consecutive games, but two-of-those-three eclipsed 40 points solely because of defensive touchdowns. The Cowboys’ offense has undoubtedly been excellent, but it has received help from other areas. Which means that, even if the Cowboys break through against New England’s defense, there’s no guarantee Prescott is the reason why.

RB Josh Jacobs – LV $6,100 at DEN – Certainly the top story of Week 6 is the departure of Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden, but there’s an on-field element that we need to consider when planning for the fallout. That is, Gruden was devoted to getting the ball in the hands of running back Josh Jacobs to a nearly unhealthy degree. Without Gruden calling the shots, will the Raiders still call Jacobs’ number?

Maybe. But the unreliable nature of the situation makes it a risk not worth taking.

That’s before we factor in how impressive the Broncos’ defense has been. It ranks near the top of the league in almost every statistical category.

Jacobs’ overall talent is undeniable, but a changing of the guard and a difficult matchup means that we can’t ask for his top level of production on Sunday.

RB Chris Carson – SEA $6,100 at PIT – We’re probably not splitting any atoms here, but Chris Carson and the Seattle Seahawks are in a bad position without Russell Wilson under center against the Steelers in Pittsburgh. In fact, even if Wilson were to have played against Pittsburgh, the defense deserves so much respect that it might have been worth it to avoid most of Seattle’s offensive players anyway. Without Wilson? It’s not really a topic of discussion.

Carson has been largely underwhelming this year without a single 100-yard rushing effort to date. Now, he play against a defense that has allowed the ninth-fewest rushing yards and only a single rushing touchdown on the year.

And that defense won’t have to worry about the quarterback position.

RB Damien Williams – CHI $5,900 vs. GB – Upon learning about the injury to starting running back David Montgomery, savvy fantasy managers started pivoting to Damien Williams as a viable replacement. In his first start in Montgomery’s place, Williams did find the end zone, but was otherwise unimpressive. Still, a lead running back for a team generally carries some value. When it comes to WFS, that value also needs to be tied into the matchup.

And that’s where we can step away from Williams.

The Packers generally have a reputation of elite offense behind quarterback Aaron Rodgers and, while the perception is valid, it overshadows how strong the defense is as well. Green Bay ranks sixth-best in yards allowed.

Williams can provide some opportunities in the Bears’ offense, but he’s simply not worth the risk against the Packers.

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